Andreeva continues, noting that the reboot is being made "with a brand new take from writer Alexandra Cunningham and producer David Janollari that has Oscar winner Octavia Spencer [‘The Help’] succeeding Angela Lansbury in the lead role of an astute amateur detective. The new hourlong project, which has received a put pilot comitment, is a re-imagining of of the long-running CBS series."

Angela Lansbury

Of the original series Andreeva writes,"Created by Richard Levinson, William Link and Peter S. Fischer, the original ‘Murder, She Wrote’ starred Lansbury in her record 12-time-Emmy-nominated role as Jessica (J.B.) Fletcher, a middle-aged, widowed successful murder-mystery writer who solves real murders in her spare time. The series premiered in 1984, ran for 12 seasons and spawned four follow-up TV movies as well as a spinoff series, ‘The Law & Harry McGraw.’ Like other reboots, including CBS’s ‘Hawaii Five-0’ and TNT’s ‘Dallas,’ the new ‘Murder, She Wrote’ will likely keep the popular theme music of the original series, which won an Emmy for composer John Addison, giving it a 21st century makeover."

To read more details about the reboot, please click on the link above, which takes you to Andreeva’s original piece.

8 Comments

What’s the track record on reboots these days?
For every winner like “Hawaii 5-0” or “Battlestar Galactica” there are half a dozen lame attempts, of which “Ironside” is just the latest example. Or have we all forgotten the reboots of Bionic Woman, Knight Rider, Dallas, The Untouchables, Beauty and the Beast, Nikita, Kojak, The Twilight Show (twice!), The New Odd Couple…? and on and on…

Just thought of some more… Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman (which never even made it to air), The Munsters (killed at the pilot stage), Beverly Hills 90210, V, Melrose Place…sigh…
It’s getting to the point where the original doesn’t even need to be a good show to have some network want to bring it back.
Well, here’s MY pitch: “My Mother The Car” with Barbara Eden (or maybe Sarah Silverman) as the voice of the title character, updated as a hybrid Lexus SUV…

Really?!? REALLY?!?!
So they are trying to bring back Remington Steele relaunch/ reboot/ next generation. They tired with Ironside (and failed)…
I am expecting to see a Matlock remake (with Bill Cosby as Matlock), a remake of Scarecrow and Ms King (cuz Kathy Ireland and Adrian Paul are free), then AirWolf (although I want to see a female Pilot- Laurie Holden mayeb) and what they heck- bring on “The Son of Walker- Texas Ranger”…

The reboot of Dallas was NOT a flop. The show will begin its third season in January on TNT.
The remake of Beverly Hills 90201 ran five seasons; and the remake of V lasted two seasons (twice as long as the original).

As much as I loathe most of the reboots, it’s hard to call one that made it to a second season or more as a “flop”. Creatively most of them might suck (Beauty & the Beast, Nikta & yes, the Galactica reboot) but some turn out well, like most re-boots of Twilight Zone and Showtime’s excellent Outer Limits reboot. Those are still the exceptions to the rule but some ideas are worth revisiting. I just wish they wouldn’t execute them so terribly.

If they are going to remake a series from that creative team they should remake a much better mystery series: Ellery Queen.
Had many of the same producers and writers as Murder She Wrote, but a much better show that was ahead of it’s times.